Shorts on backward and a shoe 'blowing out': Wardrobe issues add even more fun to March Madness



The NCAA men's basketball tournament is now in full swing, and while the play on the court remains the main story, two wardrobe issues in different tournament games added an extra layer of fun on Thursday.

A.J. Hoggard, a senior guard for the Michigan State Spartans, committed the first wardrobe foul of the day when he played the first several minutes of the day's opening matchup between Michigan State and Mississippi State with his uniform shorts on backward.

As the Spartans were wearing green uniforms marked with a Greek key pattern on one side and just the Spartan logo on the other, the Greek key pattern should have extended all along the right side of Hoggard's body. But for a little while, that wasn't the case, and several media outlets and fans with a sharp eye made note of his mistake on social media.

In the image below, sophomore guard Tre Holloman, circled in blue, has his uniform on the correct way. Hoggard, whose shorts are circled in red, does not.

— (@)

Luckily, teammate Steven Izzo, son of legendary MSU head coach Tom Izzo, reportedly noticed and apprised Hoggard of the issue during a timeout. "I’m definitely going viral for that," Hoggard replied, according to MLive MSU beat writer Kyle Austin.

The backward shorts may have been good luck as the Spartans got out to an early 5-0 lead and never really looked back. The Bulldogs made some big shots in key moments, threatening to stage a comeback for about three-quarters of the game before going cold from the floor.

The Spartans held such a comfortable lead with one minute to play in the game that Steven Izzo and other team benchwarmers substituted in for the unforgettable chance at some tournament playing time. During one especially special moment for Spartan fans, Izzo dished a pass to Davis Smith, son of Steve Smith, one of the best shooters in MSU history. As the shot clock was about to expire, Smith tossed up a shot from well behind the arc — and hit nothing but net.

— (@)

The Spartans ultimately defeated the Bulldogs, 69-51, and will face North Carolina, the top seed in the West region, on Saturday. Highlights from the MSU-MSU matchup can be seen below:

The other wardrobe issue on Thursday involved a referee for the Creighton-Akron game in the Midwest region. Early in the second half, referee Kelly Pfeifer suddenly needed an assist from back-up official Adam Flore after "blowing out" one of his shoes.

During a stoppage in play, Pfeifer walked over to Flore, who happens to wear the same size as Pfeifer. Pfeifer initially wanted to borrow just one of Flore's shoes, but as the two men were wearing different brands, he had to borrow both and slip them on quickly so that he could return to his officiating duties.

The shoe swap was caught on camera:

— (@)

The Creighton Bluejays easily sailed passed the Akron Zips, 77-60. The Bluejays will now take on the Oregon Ducks, who have played some of their best basketball in the last week or so, upsetting the Arizona Wildcats and then besting the Colorado Buffaloes to clinch the Pac-12 Tournament championship and an automatic bid to the Big Dance.

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'F*** your thoughts and prayers': Democrat drops F-bomb in statement about Michigan State shooting



Michigan state Rep. Ranjeev Puri, a Democrat, dropped the F-bomb in a statement about the recent shooting at Michigan State University.

The 43-year-old shooter killed three and wounded others, and also reportedly ended his own life.

"F*** your thoughts and prayers," Puri declared in his statement, before going on to offer "deepest condolences" to the school's community.

"What happened in East Lansing is unfortunately far too common. Going to school in America, whether it's pre-school or college, means risking your life every day to the threat of a mass shooting. Yet all we have offered up are empty solutions — traumatizing active shooter drills and bulletproof backpacks," Puri said in the statement. "We do not need to live like this. The United States is the only country where this happens. Where mass shootings have left us desensitized, waking up each day to a seemingly never-ending horrific cycle of gun violence."

\u201cToday, we begin to collectively heal from the horrific events which transpired, tomorrow we work. \n\nMy official statement regarding the Michigan State University shooting is below:\n\nFuck your thoughts and prayers.\u201d
— Rep. Ranjeev Puri (@Rep. Ranjeev Puri) 1676353119

"Thoughts and prayers without action and change are meaningless. Our office will continue to work tirelessly to pass common sense gun reform immediately. We will not stop until our students can attend school without fear, our communities can attend places of worship in peace, and our society is safe from senseless gun violence," he said.

Ryan Petty, whose daughter Alaina was killed in the 2018 shooting at a Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, called Puri "disgusting."

"You are disgusting. Have some respect for your office and to the families who have lost loved ones," Petty tweeted.

But gun control activist David Hogg, who was a student at the school when the Parkland shooting occurred, expressed support for Puri: "We need more politicians like this," Hogg tweeted in response to Puri's statement.

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Video: Numerous Michigan State football players gang up on lone Michigan player, punching, kicking, and throwing him to ground in stadium tunnel after MSU loss



After the Michigan State Spartans lost the gridiron battle to the Michigan Wolverines 29-7 in Ann Arbor on Saturday, some MSU players evidently figured they might still win the war.

Video shows several Spartans ganging up on a Michigan football player — identified in multiple reports as defensive back Ja’Den McBurrows — in the contentious Michigan Stadium tunnel, throwing punches and landing kicks and throwing him to the ground:

\u201cWOAH! The Michigan and Michigan State scuffle carried over into the tunnel. #MSUvsUM \u201d
— Woodward Sports Network (@Woodward Sports Network) 1667099440

Another video taken behind police officers at a T-junction in the tunnel appears to show Michigan State players pulling down a Wolverines player:

\u201chttps://t.co/wkKGC8O2IA\u201d
— Kyle Austin (@Kyle Austin) 1667099224

Postgame offense

WJRT reported that the scuffle was preempted by trash talk between members of both teams. It is unclear if the Wolverines escalated the situation by drawing attention to how they had managed 276 rushing yards over MSU's 37.

Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh claimed in the postgame press conference that two Wolverines players had been assaulted, characterizing what he saw in the video of the "10-on-1" skirmish as "pretty, pretty bad."

Harbaugh added that one player had a nasal injury — potentially a broken nose — as a result of the tunnel fight.

Michigan athletic director Warde Manuel called the incident "unacceptable," noting that "this is not what a rivalry should be about."

Manuel indicated that Big Ten Commissioner Kevin Warren was looking into the fight.

\u201cThere was an incident in the tunnel after Michigan's rivalry win over Michigan State.\n\nJim Harbaugh and Warde Manuel addressed it in the postgame press conference.\u201d
— Big Ten Network (@Big Ten Network) 1667106069

Spartans coach Mel Tucker tweeted afterward that "our program has a responsibility to uphold the highest level of sportsmanship. While emotions were very high at the conclusion of our rivalry game at Michigan Stadium, there is no excuse for behavior that puts our team or our opponents at risk."

One video appears to show Tucker swinging at a fan who tried to touch him on his way out of the stadium:

\u201cDo not touch Mel Tucker\u2019s head\u201d
— Unnecessary Roughness (@Unnecessary Roughness) 1667103540

According to Tucker, Michigan State would "evaluate the events in Ann Arbor and take swift and appropriate action," in "complete cooperation with law enforcement, the Big Ten Conference and MSU and UM leadership."

University of Michigan Deputy Chief of Police Melissa Overton released a statement, indicating that University of Michigan Police were collaborating with MSU Police and investigating the post-game incident.

\u201cUniversity of Michigan Deputy Chief of Police Melissa Overton released this statement on the incident with Michigan State in the tunnel at Michigan Stadium.\u201d
— Tom VanHaaren (@Tom VanHaaren) 1667106183

Tunnel of love

Sports Illustrated reported that Michigan Stadium having only one tunnel leading to both locker rooms has been raised as a possible problem previously.

Earlier this month, Penn State and Michigan players got into a shouting match in the same tunnel:

\u201cSome halftime tunnel shenanigans happening.\u201d
— Isaiah Hole (@Isaiah Hole) 1665855722

Penn State head coach James Franklin afterward called the route off the field "a problem."

Michigan State University allows nearly 15,000 basketball fans at sold-out games but shuts down in-person learning in January



Michigan State University won't allow for in-person learning until the final day of January, but at the same time had no problem opening up the school's arena for nearly 15,000 screaming fans to attend every Spartans' home basketball game this month.

On Dec. 31, Michigan State University president Samuel L. Stanley Jr. announced in a letter that the school's spring 2022 semester would commence on Jan. 10 virtually and continue to be remote-learning until Jan. 31.

Stanley notes that Michigan suffered a spike of COVID-19 cases in December – which at the time was an all-time high of more than 11,000 cases.

"Given this intense surge in cases, we now feel the best decision for our campus is to start classes primarily remotely on Jan. 10 and for at least the first three weeks of the semester," writes Stanley – who uses the preferred pronouns of "he" and "him" in the letter.

Stanley admits, "I realize that students prefer to be in person, and so do I. But it is important that we do so in a safe manner."

"Starting the semester remotely and de-densifying campus in the coming weeks can be a solution to slowing the spread of the virus," the letter to MSU students reads. "During the first three weeks, my leadership team and I will be reviewing case numbers and other COVID-19 trends regularly to determine what additional protective measures will be enacted."

Michigan State University will be remote learning for nearly all of January requires all faculty, staff, and students to wear face coverings indoors. The university also mandates that all faculty, staff, and students be fully vaccinated against COVID-19, as well as "receive their booster if and when they are eligible."

While in-state students are paying tuition of more than $25,000 and out-of-state students are doling out more than $51,000, they won't receive in-person learning until Jan. 31. Meanwhile, Michigan State's basketball arena has been running at 100% capacity for all home games this month.

"Attendance at all of Michigan State University's home basketball games in the month of January at the Breslin Center was at 100% capacity with 14,797 fans in attendance," Fox News reports.

The Spartans' men's basketball team will play four home games at the Breslin Center this month.

Michigan State University requires attendees of indoor sporting events on campus to be vaccinated against COVID-19 or have a negative COVID-19 test, plus has instituted a mask mandate.

The sold-out stadium has been full of basketball fans despite record numbers of COVID-19 cases in Michigan.

Since Jan. 1, there have been more than 13,000 COVID-19 cases each day. Michigan hit a pandemic high of 23,460 COVID-19 cases on Jan. 6 and Jan. 7, according to Worldometer.

"The fact that students can fill the (Breslin Center) packed shoulder to shoulder for hours before the game, for the entirety of the game and be together for, you know, probably three hours at night with no social distancing, not even including all the outsiders being brought in to campus for the game, it's wildly hypocritical" MSU student Blake Maday told Fox News.

Dan Olsen – the deputy spokesperson for Michigan State University – issued a statement to Fox News regarding the situation.

"Athletics events are optional events that students or the pubic [sic] can attend, unlike classes which are required for our students to progress toward their degree and graduate," Olsen said. "Our decision to start the first three weeks remotely was difficult and was influenced by two key factors. One factor was the uncertainty at the time of Omicron and having some time to understand it and its impact better."

"The other factor was recognizing we would have a significant increase in cases that would result in hundreds of students and employees needing to be out of the classroom quarantining or isolating, we wanted to ensure consistency in the first weeks of our spring semester so everyone had an equal opportunity to learn with as less of a disruption to their education as possible," Olsen stated.